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Anthony Chiusano | NCAA.com | February 3, 2017

Hall of Fame award watch lists down to 10 finalists

UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball is one of 10 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award.

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Each year the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame presents the top players at each position with an award named after a past NCAA legend. What started as 20-man preseason watch lists are now down to 10 finalists for each position, with just two months left in the season.

The watch lists will be further narrowed to five players at each position in March, followed by the announcement of each winner in April. Below are the updated watch lists, which were released throughout the week:

Bob Cousy Award

The award for the top point guard in the nation gets its name from a Holy Cross standout and six-time NBA champion as a member of the Boston Celtics. Cousy played at Holy Cross from 1947-50 and led the Crusaders to an NCAA title in his final season.

The 10 finalists for the 2016-17 award are:

Player

School

Nigel Williams-Goss

Gonzaga

Monte Morris

Iowa State

Frank Mason III

Kansas

De'Aaron Fox

Kentucky

Melo Trimble

Maryland

Joel Berry II

North Carolina

Dennis Smith Jr.

North Carolina State

Lonzo Ball

UCLA

Jalen Brunson

Villanova

Markelle Fultz

Washington

Jerry West Award

The man behind the NBA logo silhouette, Jerry West was a two-time AP All-American at West Virginia and scored nearly 25 points per game for the Mountaineers from 1957-60 as an elite shooting guard.

It's a stacked list of finalists at the two-guard spot this season. Here are the 10 finalists:

Player

School

Jacob Evans

Cincinnati

Marcus Foster

Creighton

Luke Kennard

Duke

Jordan Mathews

Gonzaga

James Blackmon Jr.

Indiana

Peter Jok

Iowa

Devonte' Graham

Kansas

Malik Monk

Kentucky

Steve Vasturia

Notre Dame

Bryce Alford

UCLA

Julius Erving Award

Erving averaged more than 20 points and 20 rebounds in his career in Amherst for the Massachusetts Minutemen from 1968-71. Known for his graceful dunks and iconic hair, Erving was a scoring machine at every level — NCAA, ABA, NBA — and was a four-time MVP.

A mixture of thriving underclassmen and experienced seniors top this year's list of finalists. Here are the top 10 small forwards:

Player

School

Evan Bradds

Belmont

Kelan Martin

Butler

Jaron Blossomgame

Clemson

Jayson Tatum

Duke

Dwayne Bacon

Florida State

Josh Jackson

Kansas

Justin Jackson

North Carolina

Dillon Brooks

Oregon

Josh Hart

Villanova

Trevon Bluiett

Xavier

Karl Malone Award

The best power forward in the nation will take home the Malone Award, named after the Louisiana Tech star (1982-85) who led the Bulldogs to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 1985 -- a Sweet 16 run.

Malone averaged 18.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game over three seasons before taking his talents to the NBA where he built a Hall of Fame career in Utah and Los Angeles.

Here are the 10 finalists:

Player

School

Lauri Markkanen

Arizona

Johnathan Motley

Baylor

Ivan Rabb

California

Dedric Lawson

Memphis

Miles Bridges

Michigan State

Bonzie Colson

Notre Dame

Michael Young

Pittsburgh

Caleb Swanigan

Purdue

TJ Leaf

UCLA

Alec Peters

Valparaiso

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award

Basketball may be trending more toward small ball, but that won't stop this year's elite group of centers from dominating down low.

Abdul-Jabbar astoundingly won three NCAA championships under John Wooden's 1960s UCLA dynasty. Add in his six NBA championship rings, and Abdul-Jabbar is one of the most decorated and dominant big men at both the college and professional level.

Here are the 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award:

Player

School

Eric Mika

BYU

Justin Patton

Creighton

Yante Maten

Georgia

Przemek Karnowski

Gonzaga

Tim Kempton

Lehigh

Jock Landale

Saint Mary's

Tacko Fall

UCF

Thomas Welsh

UCLA

Josh Hawkinson

Washington State

Ethan Happ

Wisconsin

UCLA leads the way with four players represented among the five watch lists. Gonzaga and Kansas each add three of their own to the updated editions.

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